How to Register Your Songs Properly for Royalties

Before you see even a dime from your music, your songs need to be properly registered. No shortcuts. Regardless of your genre or career stage, improper registration is one of the most common ways musicians miss out on royalties. If you want royalty income to hit your account—as it should—this process deserves your attention.

What Does It Mean to Register Your Songs?

Song registration is how you link your creative work—music and lyrics—to your legal identity and ownership claims. Registration creates the paper trail that allows royalty organizations, rights administrators, and licensing platforms to track, collect, and pay out revenue when your music is used.

Song registration involves multiple layers:

• Copyright registration: Legally protects your song and proves you own it.
• PRO submission: Registers your works with a Performance Rights Organization (like ASCAP or BMI) for performance royalties.
• Sound recording registration: Registers your actual recordings with collecting societies and distributors.

Each step connects different streams of income. Miss one, and you may forfeit money that’s rightfully yours.

Step 1: Get Your Copyright in Order

Copyright is the legal recognition of your authorship. In the US, your song is copyrighted as soon as it’s fixed in a tangible form (recorded or written down), but formal registration with the US Copyright Office is your best defense in any dispute and is mandatory for pursuing damages in court.

How to copyright a song:

1. Finish and record your song.
2. Visit the US Copyright Office website.
3. Register your song as a “musical work” (for underlying composition) and/or a “sound recording” (for a specific audio file).
4. Pay the fee and submit your file(s).

You’ll receive a certificate, making your claim official and discoverable.

Step 2: Register With a Performance Rights Organization (PRO)

If you skip PRO registration, you lose out on performance royalties from radio, TV, live gigs, streaming, and background uses in public spaces. US options include ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC, with global equivalents like PRS (UK), SOCAN (Canada), and APRA AMCOS (Australia).

How to register your works with a PRO:

1. Sign up as both a songwriter and a publisher (if you’re independent).
2. Log into your PRO portal.
3. Submit new works, entering detailed metadata:
   • Song title
   • Writers and splits
   • Publisher info
   • Recording details (if prompted)
   • ISWC/ISRC codes, if available
4. Double-check spelling and splits—errors here can delay or even block payments.

Pro Tip: Register each version or remix separately if they’re released as distinct tracks.

Step 3: Don’t Forget the Sound Recording Registration

Composition and sound recording royalties are separate. When you record a song, collect royalties by partnering with:

• SoundExchange (US): Handles digital performance royalties for the master recording.
• Neighboring Rights organizations: Internationally, these societies (like PPL in the UK) pay out performance royalties from radio and broadcasting.

Registering the sound recording requires:

• Clear metadata (ISRC, performer credits, release date, label/publisher info).
• Matching your registration info with what digital distributors use—mistakes here can stop payments.

Step 4: Nail Down Your Music Metadata

Metadata is the glue that ties song ownership, credits, and payments together in the digital age. Accurate, complete metadata ensures your royalties find their way to you.

Key metadata fields:

• Song title (as released)
• Alternate titles/versions
• Writers, producers, publishers
• ISRC (recording) and ISWC (composition) codes
• Release date, label, genre
• Contact info

Triple-check everything before you hit submit. Misspellings, inconsistent splits, and skipped codes are a common source of lost royalties, especially if you release music with other artists.

Step 5: Submit to Publishers and Aggregators

If you’re working with a music publisher, distributor, sync agency, or administrator (like Songtrust or Tunecore), follow their registration process. Every platform has its requirements, but in general:

• Provide your publishing splits and songwriter info as accurately and early as possible.
• Use the same metadata everywhere to avoid conflicts.
• For sample-based works or covers, supply original song info and proper licensing documentation.

Common Song Registration Mistakes to Avoid

• Delaying registration: Waiting until after release can cost you royalties you can’t recover.
• Inconsistent info: Minor spelling or naming differences make tracking and matching your songs much harder.
• Skipping the splits: If more than one person is credited, register everyone and their shares accurately.
• Ignoring global steps: Music is worldwide. Don’t limit yourself to US-based registrations if your music gets global play.

Solidify Your Royalty Setup with These Final Checks

• Confirm every song is registered in your PRO portal and with your distributor.
• Store original registration documents, confirmation emails, and all metadata records.
• If you update a song (remaster, rename, etc.), update your registrations everywhere.
• For collaborators, regularly communicate and confirm all parties see the same metadata and splits.

Key Takeaways: Secure Your Royalties from Day One

Registering your songs is the foundation of your music career’s income flow. Copyright with the government for legal protection, log everything with a PRO for public performance royalties, register your sound recording, and triple-check your metadata. These steps aren’t busywork—they build your long-term financial stability and make sure your work gets recognized.

If you neglect these basics, you’re not just leaving money on the table—you’re weakening your claim to your own art. Do it right, and your music works for you long after release day.